Many modern telephones are equipped with an integrated telephone answering device (ITAD) that is typically integrated within a base unit of a telephone. Known ITADs provide an easy to use interface at the base unit that allow a user (the ITAD owner and called party) to record a message to be played to a caller when an incoming call is not picked up. In typical systems, a single short message is played to any caller when the phone is not taken off the hook after a predetermined amount of rings. In known systems, it is possible for the user to initiate recording and subsequently play recorded messages received from a caller by pressing either a single button, or perhaps two buttons provided on the base unit. Moreover, the user can typically dial into the telephone remotely to play messages left in the ITAD, thus providing a convenient means for a user to retrieve caller messages. In addition, because recording and playback only requires one or two buttons, ITADs can be incorporated into relatively inexpensive base units that have a simple user interface. For example, the base unit may simply include buttons to operate the ITAD and a cradle for a handset.
Typical ITAD systems, however, provide only a limited amount of information to a caller whose call is not answered by a live person. Known ITAD systems typically have a limited amount of storage space for a user to record a message that can give the caller information such as information confirming the name or number of the called party and directions as to how to leave a message. Known ITADs are configured to play the same general message in response to any incoming call that is not answered by a live person. Often, however, a user may wish to provide more timely information to a potential calling party than is contained in a first, general pre-recorded message, such as information indicating that the called party is out of town for a period of time, or current contact information that the caller can use to contact the called party through other means besides the telephone associated with the ITAD. However, this requires the user to record a new message for the ITAD, which replaces the first, general, message and is then played in response to any incoming unanswered call. When a user returns from out of town, for example, the user, having replaced the general message with a more timely and specific message, then has to reenter a message, such as the first general pre-recorded message, to provide appropriate information to calling parties. This process of updating the message played by an ITAD is cumbersome for the called party ITAD user, especially if the update process has to be performed often and is not ideally suited to the information needs of a wide variety of potential calling parties who may include complete strangers as well as close family members.
One attempt to address the above problem, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,913 to Shalom et al. (“Shalom”), involved a telephone answering machine that included a microcomputer that was connected over a common bus to a recording device and full alphanumeric keypad with function keys. The telephone answering machine facilitated recording several different messages and facilitated assigning of a user telephone number to one of the several messages so that a message could be played based on the identified phone number.
Another example of an answering machine where more than one message can be played back is described in a series of patents to Gerszberg et al. (“Gerszberg”), namely, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,226,362; 6,377,664; and 6,385,305. The latter machine included a video display and capability for playback of video announcement messages.
However, both Gerszberg and Shalom disclose relatively complex procedures and hardware systems that cannot readily be incorporated into typical home phones having a simple base unit where the user interface may be of minimal complexity.